2 1 2 AMERICAN FISHES. 



One of the American men-of-war of Revolutionary times was named 

 " Bonetta," after the fishes of this group. 



In addition to the Striped Bonito, which is, properly, a Tunny, we 

 have in American waters two other small Tunnies — the Long-finned 

 Tunny, Orcynus alalonga, and the Silver-spotted Tunny, Orcynus argen- 

 tivittatus — which have since 1877 been added to the fauna of the United 

 States. 



The former of these two occurs in considerable abundance on the coast 

 of California, and is there also known as the Albicore. Concerning it 

 Prof. Jordan writes : " This fish reaches a weight of about twelve pounds, 

 and is much shorter and deeper than the Bonito of the Pacific. It is 

 found from San Francisco southward, but is abundant only in the chan- 

 nels about the Santa Barbara Islands. It seldom comes within six miles 

 of the shore, and it is taken by trolling. It spawns about the middle of 

 August, its arrival on the coast being determined by the spawning season. 

 It usually is present in June and July and disappears in the fall. It feeds 

 chiefly on anchovies and squids, and various deep-water fishes {Merlucius, 

 Sudis, Myctophutri) are found in its stomach. As a food-fish it is even 

 less valued than the Bonito, rarely selling for more than twenty to twenty- 

 five cents. It is abundant, but of little economic importance, being 

 usually fished for by sportsmen." 



The Albicore, Orcynus alliteratus, known in the Gulf of Mexico, where 

 it is confounded by the fishermen with other similar species, as the 

 "Bonito," and in the Mediterranean by the names " Tonnina " (Trieste), 

 " Carcane " (Venice), and " Tauna " (Nice), has a geographical range 

 very similar to that of the Bonito, except that it is found in the Pacific on 

 the east coast of Japan, and in the Malay Archipelago. It has also been 

 recorded from Cuba, Brazil and the Bermudas. This active species, which 

 attains the weight of from thirty to forty pounds, first made its appearance 

 in our waters in 1871, when several large schools were observed by the 

 Fish Commission in Buzzard's Bay and the Vineyard Sound. Nearly 

 every year since they have been seen in greater or less numbers ; but, as 

 they are of little value for food, no effort has been made to capture them, 

 nor are they often brought to the markets. This species, known at the 

 Bermudas as the "Mackerel," is frequently seen in the markets at 

 Hamilton and St. Georges. , 



In the Mediterranean its flesh is considered to be very excellent. My 



